New Reward Flight Pricing for USA - potentially trial, books into I
Jun 28, 2019, 12:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 967
New Reward Flight Pricing for USA - potentially trial, books into I
I was booking flights yesterday to PMI for the summer using double rewards - such a great G benefit! - when the very helpful BAEC agent mentioned, inter alia, a brand new way to calculate avios for reward flighst to the US (I inferred it had literally come online that day, as I would apparently be 'one of the very first or perhaps the first' to find out about it).
He himself wasn't quite sure how the pricing worked, but it seems that BA are trialing a system where Gold reward flights on revenue tickets are on "a percentage basis rather than double avios". He gave me an example of a flight in J costing 125000 avios with no reward availability that would usually be 250000 for G on a revenue ticket coming down to 190000 avios. He said that to get the price he would have to put the revenue flight into a calculator (meaning, I think, an app) and it would give him the avios price. He also mentioned 'I' tickets - not sure the relevance. He believed it was a trial, and might be extended onto other routes, but was limited to North America at the moment.
Obviously this is an expensive use of avios compared to a 2-4-1 reward ticket, but for Avios-heavy Golds this starts to make sense, especially if one cannot plan far ahead on routes with more limited reward availability.
Would love to know more - I'm sure someone can provide more detail!
He himself wasn't quite sure how the pricing worked, but it seems that BA are trialing a system where Gold reward flights on revenue tickets are on "a percentage basis rather than double avios". He gave me an example of a flight in J costing 125000 avios with no reward availability that would usually be 250000 for G on a revenue ticket coming down to 190000 avios. He said that to get the price he would have to put the revenue flight into a calculator (meaning, I think, an app) and it would give him the avios price. He also mentioned 'I' tickets - not sure the relevance. He believed it was a trial, and might be extended onto other routes, but was limited to North America at the moment.
Obviously this is an expensive use of avios compared to a 2-4-1 reward ticket, but for Avios-heavy Golds this starts to make sense, especially if one cannot plan far ahead on routes with more limited reward availability.
Would love to know more - I'm sure someone can provide more detail!
Jun 28, 2019, 1:13 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,899
Very interesting.
On the phone now getting more details...but..
It's J only.
NA only.
All exec club tiers.
Same rules as normal avios tix for changes and cancellations.
Launched silently.
More detail on way.
Edit -
Started June 17th
Applies to US and UK members only.
NA Canada and Mexico included.
Books into I class
No off or on peak pricing.
Applies for UuA too into I from WTP.
Can only be booked over the phone.
JFK 194k
LAX 224k
On the phone now getting more details...but..
It's J only.
NA only.
All exec club tiers.
Same rules as normal avios tix for changes and cancellations.
Launched silently.
More detail on way.
Edit -
Started June 17th
Applies to US and UK members only.
NA Canada and Mexico included.
Books into I class
No off or on peak pricing.
Applies for UuA too into I from WTP.
Can only be booked over the phone.
JFK 194k
LAX 224k
Last edited by teledude; Jun 28, 2019 at 1:25 am
Jun 28, 2019, 1:38 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
Cheapest I-fares I can see are about Ł700 / Ł1100 (+charges) for JFK / LAX, so it depends when teledude was pricing but seems close to BA's generic 0.5p conversion. Not great, but flexibility would be a benefit vs an I-fare.
Jun 28, 2019, 1:50 am
#5
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,735
So if I have understood the above correctly (and many thanks to both of you for finding this out)
- if there is I class availability in Club World but no Avios availability then you have the option of a higher priced Avios option, running at about 60% extra Avios needed
- It works like conventional Avios in terms of cancellations and changes, and is available to all BAEC members not just Gold.
- The lack of a peak/off peak slider makes this option more useful during peak periods, relatively speaking.
- It can also be used for WTP Uprgade using Avios if on a revenue ticket (though you would need to be in T bucket to make it economic).
- Presumably Gold Priority Rewards continue, for example to get into the WTP cabin, but if I bucket is available it wouldn't make sense.
All of this depends on the I bucket (selling class) being available. Usually this is fairly good 3 weeks out except around weekends, but much more rarely seen 3 days before travel.
And to head off the inevitable question, this facility won't generate extra Tier Points, you would only get any if on WTP and using UuA, and that would be for the WTP level.
- if there is I class availability in Club World but no Avios availability then you have the option of a higher priced Avios option, running at about 60% extra Avios needed
- It works like conventional Avios in terms of cancellations and changes, and is available to all BAEC members not just Gold.
- The lack of a peak/off peak slider makes this option more useful during peak periods, relatively speaking.
- It can also be used for WTP Uprgade using Avios if on a revenue ticket (though you would need to be in T bucket to make it economic).
- Presumably Gold Priority Rewards continue, for example to get into the WTP cabin, but if I bucket is available it wouldn't make sense.
All of this depends on the I bucket (selling class) being available. Usually this is fairly good 3 weeks out except around weekends, but much more rarely seen 3 days before travel.
And to head off the inevitable question, this facility won't generate extra Tier Points, you would only get any if on WTP and using UuA, and that would be for the WTP level.
Jun 28, 2019, 2:00 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
So if I have understood the above correctly (and many thanks to both of you for finding this out)
- if there is I class availability in Club World but no Avios availability then you have the option of a higher priced Avios option, running at about 60% extra Avios needed
- It works like conventional Avios in terms of cancellations and changes, and is available to all BAEC members not just Gold.
- The lack of a peak/off peak slider makes this option more useful during peak periods, relatively speaking.
- It can also be used for WTP Uprgade using Avios if on a revenue ticket (though you would need to be in T bucket to make it economic).
- Presumably Gold Priority Rewards continue, for example to get into the WTP cabin, but if I bucket is available it wouldn't make sense.
All of this depends on the I bucket (selling class) being available. Usually this is fairly good 3 weeks out except around weekends, but much more rarely seen 3 days before travel.
And to head off the inevitable question, this facility won't generate extra Tier Points, you would only get any if on WTP and using UuA, and that would be for the WTP level.
- if there is I class availability in Club World but no Avios availability then you have the option of a higher priced Avios option, running at about 60% extra Avios needed
- It works like conventional Avios in terms of cancellations and changes, and is available to all BAEC members not just Gold.
- The lack of a peak/off peak slider makes this option more useful during peak periods, relatively speaking.
- It can also be used for WTP Uprgade using Avios if on a revenue ticket (though you would need to be in T bucket to make it economic).
- Presumably Gold Priority Rewards continue, for example to get into the WTP cabin, but if I bucket is available it wouldn't make sense.
All of this depends on the I bucket (selling class) being available. Usually this is fairly good 3 weeks out except around weekends, but much more rarely seen 3 days before travel.
And to head off the inevitable question, this facility won't generate extra Tier Points, you would only get any if on WTP and using UuA, and that would be for the WTP level.
Jun 28, 2019, 2:14 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 967
Just got off the phone upon reading this as I've an old 747 WTP booking I am trying to change , but she confirmed with a manager that UUA was not available either at the time of booking or after the event. I suspect there is a lack of familiarity and so it is possible both could be incorrect, and it would be nice to be able to read the T&Cs, but I would be interested to hear anything concrete to confirm or counter this...
Jun 28, 2019, 2:15 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
Programs: "Only" 50,000 TPs until BA GGLfL
Posts: 2,773
ooooh, interesting - any sense of the WTP to CW upgrade pricing concept? ie is it the full differential between the CW dynamic price and the WTP statis price or is it some fixed percentage of the CW dynamic price?
Jun 28, 2019, 2:20 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 967
The way it was explained to be yesterday and today is that it is variable via what they both described as a calculator based on the revenue price...however neither seemed able to explain it in more certainty, which suggested to me it was flexible. It will be interesting to see some live examples.
As a general comment whilst it will be welcomed as a benefit for all BAECs, this seems particularly good for Golds who fly a reasonable amount, and so earn a reasonable avios haul, but not enough TPs to get a joker.
As a general comment whilst it will be welcomed as a benefit for all BAECs, this seems particularly good for Golds who fly a reasonable amount, and so earn a reasonable avios haul, but not enough TPs to get a joker.
Jun 28, 2019, 2:34 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,899
Jun 28, 2019, 2:44 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,014
It's not just for Golds according to this: https://www.turningleftforless.com/e...north-america/
Jun 28, 2019, 3:16 am
#15
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,473
It's not just for Golds according to this: https://www.turningleftforless.com/e...north-america/
/mod